Olá, pessoal!

On the 20^th we celebrate Easter all over the world and today’s post will cover some Easter specific vocabulary.

1. Páscoa - Easter

Nós costumamos juntar-nos na Páscoa.- We usually get together at Easter.

2. Ovo da Páscoa - Easter Egg

Há muitos Ovos da Páscoa na loja.- There are lots of Easter Eggs at the store.

3. Coelho da Páscoa - Easter Bunny

Ele se fantasiou de Coelho da Páscoa. - He dressed up as an Easter Bunny.

4. Domingo de Páscoa - Easter Sunday

O que você vai fazer no Domingo da Páscoa? - What are you going to do on Easter Sunday?

5. Sexta Feira Santa - Good Friday

Na Sexta-feira Santa eu não vou comer carne. On Good Friday I’m not going to eat meat.

                                 Boa Páscoa a Todos!

EXPRESSIONS…

Today we’re going to look at some expressions you can use in everyday conversation with friends.

1. E daí?

This means both “so what?” and “what’s up?”

-Essa pizza deve ter muitas calorias. That pizza must have a lot of calories.

-E dai? So what?



2. Pois é

This literally means, “well, yeah,” but is used in a negative context, so can also mean “yes, unfortunately.”

-Sua mãe disse que você tem que fazer o exame de novo.Your mom told me you have to take the college entrance exam again.

-Pois é! Yeah, unfortunately.



3. Ainda bem

This means “just as well,” or “well, thank goodness!”

O furacão não vai passar perto daqui. The hurricane isn’t going to come close to here.

Ainda bem! “Well, thank goodness!”

Até breve!

ETIQUETE: TABLE MANERS

When learning a language, it’s just as important to learn about the culture so that you can apply your language skills in a respectful way. Today, we’re going to learn about table manners in Brazil, Portugal, Angola or other countries where Portuguese is spoken.

• Do not talk with food in your mouth. It is considered extremely rude.
• Try not to make noise when eating, as it may make people around you uncomfortable.
• In more formal settings, do not place your elbows on the table.
• It’s common to say “bom apetite” before you begin to eat.
• Use the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand.
• Use your utensils for all types of food, even pizza, sandwiches, and French fries. Food is very rarely eaten with bare hands, since it is considered unhygienic to do so.
• If you do decide to eat food with your hands, wrap it in a napkin so your fingers aren’t touching it.
• Do not cut with your fork, and be sure to rest the utensils on your plate if not using them.
• After every sip you take of your drink, wipe your mouth on your napkin. If you forget, at least try to wipe your mouth several times throughout the meal.
• Keep both hands above the table.
• Do not drink directly from a bottle or a can. Always pour your drink into a glass.
• When offered food, say “yes, thank you,” or offer a polite excuse as to not offend the person.
• Absolutely never belch at the table, and be subtle about sneezing and coughing (be sure to cover your face with your hands). If you have to blow your nose, leave the table and go to the bathroom.
• Toothpicks can be used at the table, but behind your hand or a napkin.

I hope this can be useful.

Até breve!

SPEAKING PORTUGUESE COUNTRIES

Where else Portuguese is spoken in the world!


Here are the countries where Portuguese is the official language:

1. Portugal (population: 10 million) The birthplace of this beautiful language, there are around twelve dialects.

2. Brazil (population: 201 million) The largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world. Brazilian Portuguese is quite different from continental Portuguese, especially spoken Brazilian Portuguese, but grammar and written Brazilian Portuguese more closely follow European Portuguese.

3. Angola (population: 13 million) This African nation was colonized by the Portuguese and was ruled by Portugal for centuries – it didn’t become an independent country until 1975.

4. Mozambique (population: 22 million) Colonized by the Portuguese in the 1500s and recognized as independent in 1975, this East African country’s official language is Portuguese.

5. Cape Verde (population: 508,600) These islands were colonized by the Portuguese in the 1400s, and became independent in 1975.

6. Guinea-Bissau (population: 1.6 million) This small West African national was a part of the Mali Empire until it was conquered by the Portuguese in the 1800s.

7. São Tomé and Príncipe (population: 163,00) The smallest Portuguese-speaking country in the world, this country was settled by the Portuguese in the 1470s and gained its independence in 1975.

Other Portuguese-speaking regions

Equitorial Guinea - Portuguese is one of three official languages in this small West African nation (Spanish and French are the other two). The Spanish and Portuguese both colonized here, and the country gained its independence in 1968 from Spain.

East Timor – Portuguese is one of two official languages (Tetum is the other) in this southeast Asian state. It was colonized by the Portuguese in the 1500s and declared independence in 1975.

Macau – an administrative region of China, the Portuguese first settled this coastal region in the 1500s. Portugal “administered” Macau until 1999, when it was turned over to China, though it remains a semi-autonomous region. Though Portuguese is still spoken there, Cantonese is the most commonly spoken language.

Goa – this is a western state in India where the Portuguese settled in 1510. Portuguese is less common now, since Konkani is the most spoken language.

Uruguay – in the border region near Brazil, some people speak Riverense Portunhol, a mixture of Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish.

Today’s post is how to say happy birthday in Portuguese and some birthday and celebration vocabulary!!

So here are a few key words when it comes to aniversários!

The first thing that gets students confused is the word for birthday in Portuguese

• aniversário

It sounds like "anniversary", but it is not always so. If someone asks when your aniversário is, they are asking about your birthday.

You can greet your birthday friends in two ways:

• Feliz aniversário - happy birthday
• Parabéns - Congratulations --- Yeah, we congratulate people for their special day. I love this :)

Now you might be wondering what to say when you want to ask about an anniversary. In this case, we would need to specify what the event is. For example:

• aniversário de casamento = wedding anniversary

Festa – Party or celebration

Soprar Velas – To blow out candles

Bolo – Cake

Docinhos – Sweets usually served at kids’ birthday parties

Balão – Balloons

Asking someone's age

The question about someone's age is totally different in English and in Portuguese:

• Quantos anos você tem? - How old are you?

Literally, our question is "How many years do you have?"

Here is how you answer:

• Eu tenho 25 anos - I am 25 years old

Literally, that translates to "I have 25 years".

Useful Phrases

Here are a few useful phrases for you:

• Quando é seu aniversário? -When is your birthday?
• Meu aniversário é em Setembro.  - My birthday is in September.
• Meu aniversário é no dia 18 de Setembro. - My birthday is on September 18th.
• Mariana vai fazer 14 anos. - Mariana is going turn 14 years old.
• Seu aniversário está perto. - Your birthday is close.
• Você gosta de comemorar seu aniversário? - Do you like to celebrate your birthday?
• Você vai fazer festa? - Are you going to throw a party?
• Qual  é seu signo? - What is your star sign?

Brazilian birthday song

Brazilian/Portuguese Happy Birthday song has a lot of energy. It is clearly a festive and joyful event. We sing loud, clap our hands, yell, and whistle... that's right, we make noise :)
Here is our Happy Birthday song:

Português	Inglês
Parabéns pra você	Congratulations to you
Nesta data querida	On this dear date
Muitas felicidades	Much happiness
Muitos anos de vida	Many years of life
Para a menina Marcela	For the girl Marcela
Uma salve de palmas	A round of applause

Contractions in Portuguese

Oi/Olá Pessoal!
Today’s post was suggested by a student and it covers one aspect of learning Portuguese that has students somewhat confused: the contractions.

1. Em – in, on or at

em + o = no
em + a = na
em + os = nos
em + as = nas

 O cachorro está na sala.(Br)  O cão está na sala (Pt). – My backback is in the bedroom.
Ele trabalha na empresa EFR. – He works at EFR company.

2. Em + um, uma, uns , umas - in a

em + um = num
em + uma = numa
em + uns = nuns
em + umas = numas

Ele mora num apartamento. – He lives in an apartment.
Ela trabalha numa empresa – she works in a company.

3. De – of or from

de + o = do
de + a = da
de + os = dos
de + as = das

Ela é do Brasil. – She is from Brazil.
A cadeira é feita de plástico. – The chair is made of plastic.

4. Por – by, through or for

por + o = pelo
por + a = pela
por + os  = pelos
por + as = pelas

O artigo foi escrito pelo professor. – The article was written by the teacher.
Vou te dizer isto pela última vez. – I’m going to tell you this for the last time.

5. A – at or to

a + o = ao
a + a = à
a + os = aos
a + as = às

Você foi ao teatro ontem? – Did you go to the theater yesterday?
Ela foi à escola a pé. – She went to school on foot.
Esta música é dedicada aos meus colegas de turma. – This song is dedicated to my classmates.



Por hoje é tudo . Até à próxima!

How to apologize in Portuguese

How to apologize in Portuguese

Oi / Olá Pessoal!  Como estão?

We all mess up one day or the other so it is very important to be able to say I’m sorry , so what a better way to start our 2014 with this  post about apologizing.

     Pedindo Desculpas – Apologizing

Desculpe. – I’m sorry.
Foi sem querer. – I didn’t mean to do that.
Me desculpe por (Br) … Desculpe-me por (Pt)  – I’m sorry for…
Peço desculpas por… – I apologize for…
Por favor aceite minhas desculpas. – Please accept my apologies.
Não fiz por querer. – I didn’t do it on purpose.
Eu sei, isso não tem perdão, mas… – I know this is unforgivable, but…
Não sei o que dizer. – I don’t know what to say.
Não vai se repetir. – This is not going to happen again.
Juro que nunca mais faço isso. – I swear I won’t do it again.

Por hoje é só ! Nos vemos em breve!